RAW/TIFF/JPEG questions!xx again...

sorry guys. another question..... So ive taken pics in RAW and converted using my canon zoombrowser software, bumping ex. compensation by 0.3+ to 1.0+ and bumped sharpness to mid-high.... i have been leaving white balance on auto, colour saturation @ standard, colour tone @ 0, and colour space @ sRGB..... my pictures are pretty much all portraits... is there better conversions that i should be doing?? Now also after this zoombrowser the images are converted to Exif-TIFF(8bit/ch)... but in the drop-down there is TIFF (16bit/ch)...sorry to sware! ... so which tiff-***** should i be using? Also resolution is @ 180 pix/inch.... is this right or do i need to change it??? Sorry for all the questions, part of which i know is similar to my last RAW question, but i really respect your skills and knowledge in the digital photography world:heart: thanks xx
One last thing - after the image is converted to Tiff, and i work on it in PS, then save as, then re-open and save-as etc... am i not losing ANY information at all? then if for some reason i need to convert the TIFF to JPEG at the very end of photoshopping, have i still not lost information?? Sorry again, still a tad confused and wanting to learn x thanks in advance xx

You are correct in that TIFF is a lossless format. You can save over and over and not lose info.

8-bits/channel vs. 16-bits/channel: This is how much color information there is stored in the file.
8-bits/channel = 256 levels of each color (Red, Green, & Blue)
16-bits/channel = 65,536 levels of each color (Red, Green, & Blue)
Most people don't notice a difference with a casual or even a studied look, but it can make a difference in your image. Since it does take up twice as much space, I would say that unless you are doing serious work, stick with the 8-bit.http://www.earthboundlight.com/phototips/8bit-versus-16bit-difference.html

One suggestion, don't sharpen when you convert. Sharpen at the very end of everything. Resize is the second to last step.

Convert and edit everything
Save unsharpened image
Sharpen for printing
Save printing image
Go back and load unsharpened image
Resize for web
Sharpen for web size
Save image for web
If you have to make another image of a different size for whatever reason, go back the unsharpened image, resize, then sharpen.

They are all considered "RAW" because each is the camera's proprietary format and stores the data as the image sensor captures it. Any white balance, sharpening, etc., is merely saved as a flag in the header and needs software that understands the header in order to apply it. The image itself isn't changed until it's converted and the adjustments are applied. That's why you can change the adjustments in the conversion software.

RAW: One of the image formats available on some advanced digital cameras. RAW images are large, usually uncompressed files that, unlike JPEGs, are not processed by the camera and retain all their original data. RAW images are ideal for those who plan on editing their pictures with image-editing software. RAW images may require special software to turn them into a more common format like TIFF or JPEG.

TIFF:Tagged Image File Format. A file format commonly used for digital scanned images. Images saved in TIFF format can be used on most computers. Developed by Aldus and Microsoft.

JPEG:Joint Photographic Experts Group. JPEG is a standards committee that designed an image compression format. The compression format they designed is known as a lossy compression, in that it deletes information from an image that it considers unnecessary. JPEG files can range from small amounts of lossless compression to large amounts of lossy compression. This is a common standard on the WWW, but the data loss generated in its compression make it undesirable for printing purposes.

Just one point regarding TIF 8bit or 16bit. I have not found any printer that can use 16-bit TIF's for prints - they convert to 8bit and charge you for it...so I tend to save all mine in 8bit, unless a client specifically asks for (and therefore presumably are able to or want use them) 16 bit.